Alameda County, California

County of Alameda
—  County  —
Alameda County Court House in Oakland
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	California
Region/Metro area	San Francisco Bay Area
Incorporated	March 25, 1853
County seat	Oakland
Largest city	Oakland
Area
• Total	821.15 sq mi (2,126.8 km2)
• Land	737.57 sq mi (1,910.3 km2)
• Water	83.57 sq mi (216.4 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,510,271
• Density	2,047.6/sq mi (790.6/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Area code(s)	510, 925
Website	www.acgov.org

Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th largest county in the state. The county includes the cities of Oakland and Berkeley, and Oakland is its seat.

History

The county was formed on March 25, 1853 from a large portion of Contra Costa County and a smaller portion of Santa Clara County.

The Spanish word alameda means "a place where poplar trees grow", a name which originally was given to the Arroyo de la Alameda (Poplar Grove Creek). The willow and sycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early explorers of a road lined with trees, also known as an alameda.

The county seat at the time it was formed was located at Alvarado; it was moved to San Leandro in 1856 where the county courthouse was destroyed by the devastating 1868 quake on the Hayward Fault. The county seat was then re-established in the town of Brooklyn from 1872-1875. Brooklyn is now part of Oakland, which has been the county seat since 1873.

Much of what is now considered an intensively urban region, with major cities, was developed as a trolley car suburb of San Francisco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The historical progression from native American tribal lands to Spanish, then Mexican ranches, then to farms, ranches, and orchards, then multiple city centers and suburbs, is shared with the adjacent and closely associated Contra Costa County.

Government

The county is divided into five districts. A County Supervisor is elected in each district, with an election held every four years. This elected group is known as the Board of Supervisors. Currently, District 1 is represented by Supervisor Scott Haggerty; District 2, Supervisor Nadia Lockyer; District 3, Supervisor Wilma Chan; District 4, Supervisor Nate Miley; District 5, Supervisor Keith Carson. The Board elects a president who presides at all meetings of the Board and appoints committees to handle work involving the major programs of the county. If the president is absent for a meeting, the vice president shall be responsible. A Board election occurs every two years for these positions. Supervisor Miley is serving currently as president; Supervisor Carson is vice president.

Board meetings are open to the public, and occur every Tuesday (with the exception of holidays and board retreats) at 9:00 am in the County Administration Building in Oakland. Day-to-day administrative operations are handled by the County Administrator. This position is appointed by the Board of Supervisors, currently held by Susan Muranishi.

The county's law enforcement is overseen by an elected Sheriff/Coroner and an elected District Attorney. The Sheriff supervises the deputies of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, whose primary responsibilities include policing unincorporated areas of the county and cities within the county which contract with the Sheriff's Office for police services; providing security and law enforcement for county buildings including courthouses, the county jail and other county properties; providing support resources, such as a forensics laboratory and search and rescue capabilities, to other law enforcement agencies throughout the county; and serving the process of the county's Superior Court system. The District Attorney's office is responsible for prosecuting all criminal violations of the laws of the state of California, the county, or its constituent municipalities, in the Alameda County Superior Court. As of late 2009, the Sheriff is Gregory J. Ahern, who was elected in 2006 to replace Charles C. Plummer, who had served in the post for 20 years. The Interim District Attorney is Nancy E. O'Malley, who was appointed to fill the position of retiring District Attorney Tom Orloff in September 2009. The Sheriff's Office operates two jails, one being Santa Rita Jail located in Dublin.

The Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) was formed on July 1, 1993 as a dependent district, with the Board of Supervisors as its governing body. Municipal and specialized fire departments have been consolidated into the ACFD over the years. 1993 brought in the Castro Valley and Eden Consolidated FD, and the County Fire Patrol. San Leandro joined in 1995, Dublin in 1997, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2002, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2007, The Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center in 2008, and Newark and Union City in 2010.

The Alameda County Water District is operated by the county.

The county's Superior Court operates in twelve separate locations throughout the county, with its central Rene C. Davidson Courthouse located in Oakland near Lake Merritt. Most major criminal trials and complex civil cases are heard at this location or in courtrooms within the County Administration Building across the street.

Events

The annual county fair is held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The fair runs for 3 weekends from June to July. Attractions include horse racing, carnival rides, 4-H exhibits, and live bands.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 821.15 square miles (2,126.8 km²), of which 737.57 square miles (1,910.3 km²) (or 89.82%) is land and 83.57 square miles (216.4 km²) (or 10.18%) is water.

The San Francisco Bay borders the county on the west, and the City and County of San Francisco, California has a small land border with the city of Alameda due to land filling [4]. The crest of the Berkeley Hills form part of the northeastern boundary, and reach into the center of the county. A coastal plain several miles wide lines the bay; it is home to Oakland and the most populous regions. Livermore Valley lies in the eastern part of the county.

The Hayward Fault, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault to the west, runs through the most populated parts of Alameda County, while the Calaveras Fault runs through the southeastern part of the county.

Incorporated cities

View of downtown Oakland looking west across Lake Merritt.

View of Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay at nightfall.

The reconstructed mission at Mission San José (located in Fremont).

• Alameda, a charter city formed in 1916
• Albany, incorporated as the City of Ocean View in 1908, renamed Albany in 1909
• Berkeley, incorporated 1878
• Dublin, initially the Murray Township (1868), incorporated as Dublin in 1982
• Emeryville, incorporated 1896
• Fremont, incorporated 1956, combining the former communities of Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs
• Hayward, named as early as 1852, chartered as Haywards in 1876, incorporated as Hayward in 1928
• Livermore, incorporated 1876
• Newark, incorporated 1955
• Oakland, incorporated 1852
• Piedmont, incorporated 1907
• Pleasanton, incorporated 1894
• San Leandro, incorporated 1872
• Union City, incorporated 1959

Unincorporated communities

The unincorporated communities in Alameda County are governed directly by the county. Alameda County has 6 major unincorporated communities that qualify as census designated places (CDP):

• Ashland, east of San Leandro
• Castro Valley, north of Hayward, east of San Leandro
• Cherryland, north of Hayward
• Fairview, north of Hayward
• Sunol, east of Fremont
• San Lorenzo, south of San Leandro, north of Hayward

The county has a number of smaller named neighborhoods, not governed by cities.

• Albrae
• Altamont
• Asco
• Baumberg
• Brightside
• Brookshire
• Carpenter
• Dougherty

• Dresser
• East Pleasanton
• Farwell
• Hall Station
• Halvern
• Kilkare Woods
• Komandorski Village
• Lorenzo Station
• Mattos

• Mendenhall Springs
• Midway
• Mountain House
• Mowry Landing
• Radum
• San Ramon Village
• Scotts Corner
• Sorenson
• Verona

Former townships

Map of Alameda County, 1878 (Six Townships)

• Oakland Township - the northern portion subsequently became the cities of Berkeley and Albany
• Alameda Township - Now essentially coterminus with the City of Alameda
• Brooklyn Township - Mostly contained within Oakland and Piedmont
• Eden Township - parts have been incorporated into San Leandro and Hayward, the rest contains the communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, and other unincorporated areas.
• Washington Township - contains Union City, Newark, Fremont, and small unincorporated areas nearby.
• Murray Township - Contains cities of Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore, and substantial unincorporated areas including Sunol.

Adjacent counties

• Santa Clara County, California - south
• San Mateo County, California - west
• San Francisco County, California - west
• Contra Costa County, California - north
• San Joaquin County, California - east
• Stanislaus County, California - southeast by a corner

National protected area

• Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Transportation infrastructure

Major highways

Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) Interstate 238 Interstate 580 (MacArthur Freeway/Arthur Breed Freeway) Interstate 680 (Sinclair Freeway) Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway/Cypress Freeway) Interstate 980 (John B. Williams Freeway) State Route 13 (Warren Freeway/Tunnel Road/Ashby Avenue) State Route 24 (William Byron Rumford Freeway) State Route 61 State Route 84 State Route 92 (Jackson Street/San Mateo Bridge) State Route 123 (San Pablo Avenue) – formerly U.S. Route 40 State Route 185 (Mission Boulevard/East 14th Street) State Route 238 (Mission Boulevard/Foothill Boulevard) State Route 262 (Mission Boulevard)

Mass transit

• ACE train - commuter rail using existing railroad tracks; primarily brings commuters from San Joaquin County to Santa Clara County
• AC Transit - local bus system in western Alameda County and west Contra Costa County, with additional service across the three bridges from Alameda County to downtown San Francisco, San Mateo, and Palo Alto
• BART - commuter rail centered on northwest Oakland, primarily serving commuters to downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland
• Capitol Corridor - commuter rail using existing railroad tracks, extending from San Jose to Sacramento, running through western Alameda County
• WHEELS - bus system in the cities of southeastern Alameda County
• Union City Transit - local city bus service within Union City in addition to AC Transit
• Emery-Go-Round - free bus service in Emeryville.
• Alameda / Oakland Ferry and Harbor Bay Ferry - connect Oakland, Alameda, and Bay Farm Island with downtown San Francisco
• San Joaquins - Amtrak route between Oakland and Bakersfield through Fresno and the Central Valley
• VTA - commuter service between southern Alameda county and job centers in the Silicon Valley
• Dumbarton Express - additional service across the Dumbarton Bridge between Fremont and Palo Alto

Demographics

Census	Pop.		%±
1860	8,927		—
1870	24,237		171.5%
1880	62,976		159.8%
1890	93,864		49.0%
1900	130,197		38.7%
1910	246,131		89.0%
1920	344,177		39.8%
1930	474,883		38.0%
1940	513,011		8.0%
1950	740,315		44.3%
1960	908,209		22.7%
1970	1,073,184		18.2%
1980	1,105,379		3.0%
1990	1,279,182		15.7%
2000	1,443,741		12.9%
2010	1,510,271		4.6%

Demographic profile 2010 2000 1990 1980 White 43.0% 48.0% 59.6% 67.8% Asian 26.1% 20.4% 15.1% 8.0% Black or African American 12.2% 14.6% 17.6% 18.4% American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6% 0.6% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.8% 0.6% Some other race 10.8% 8.9% Two or more races 6.0.% 5.6% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 22.5% 19.0% 13.8% 11.7% White alone 34.1% 40.9% 52.6% 61.1%

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Alameda County had a population of 1,510,271. The population density was 2,047.6 people per square mile (790.6/km²). The racial makeup of Alameda County was 649,122 (43.0%) White, 190,451 (12.6%) African American, 9,799 (0.6%) Native American, 394,560 (26.1%) Asian, 12,802 (0.8%) Pacific Islander, 162,540 (10.8%) from other races, and 90,997 (6.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 339,889 persons (22.5%).

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Alameda County	1,510,271	649,122	190,451	9,799	394,560	12,802	162,540	90,997	339,889
Incorporated cities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Alameda	73,812	37,460	4,759	426	23,058	381	2,463	5,265	8,092
Albany	18,539	10,128	645	88	5,790	37	607	1,244	1,891
Berkeley	112,580	66,996	11,241	479	21,690	186	4,994	6,994	12,209
Dublin	46,036	23,634	4,347	246	12,321	287	2,458	2,743	6,663
Emeryville	10,080	4,490	1,764	44	2,775	16	348	643	927
Fremont	214,089	70,320	7,103	976	108,332	1,169	13,605	12,584	31,698
Hayward	144,186	49,309	17,099	1,396	31,666	4,535	30,004	10,177	58,730
Livermore	80,968	60,418	1,702	476	6,802	277	6,960	4,333	16,920
Newark	42,573	17,566	2,002	279	11,571	621	7,735	2,799	14,994
Oakland	390,724	134,925	109,471	3,040	65,811	2,222	53,378	21,877	99,068
Piedmont	10,667	7,917	144	6	1,939	13	94	554	421
Pleasanton	70,285	47,058	1,190	226	16,322	134	2,002	3,353	7,264
San Leandro	84,950	31,946	10,437	669	25,206	642	11,295	4,755	23,237
Union City	69,516	16,640	4,402	329	35,363	892	7,253	4,637	15,895
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Ashland	21,925	6,705	4,269	232	4,031	260	5,124	1,304	9,394
Castro Valley	61,388	35,602	4,260	329	13,140	417	3,757	3,883	10,689
Cherryland	14,728	6,035	1,698	200	1,404	310	4,016	1,065	7,955
Fairview	10,003	4,499	2,105	76	1,525	129	913	756	2,171
San Lorenzo	23,452	11,115	1,136	228	5,054	182	4,207	1,530	8,843
Sunol	913	780	1	6	48	7	19	52	91
Unincorporated communities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	8,857	5,579	676	48	712	85	1,308	449	2,737

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 47.00% married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 33.90% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,946, and the median income for a family was $65,857 (these figures had risen to $66,430 and $81,341 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $47,425 versus $36,921 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,680. About 7.70% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Alameda County is a stronghold of the Democratic Party. It has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1956, when Dwight Eisenhower carried the county. Historically, the county was Republican until the 1958 defeat of William F. Knowland. Even when Ronald Reagan won the national popular vote by an 18.3% margin in 1984, Walter Mondale won Alameda County by a slightly larger margin. In 2004 it voted for John Kerry by a margin of over 50%. Every city and town voted Democratic. In the House of Representatives, all of the 9th district, parts of the 10th and 11th districts, and most of the 13th district are in the county. All four districts are held by Democrats: Barbara Lee, John Garamendi, Jerry McNerney, and Pete Stark, respectively.

In the State Assembly, parts of the 14th and 15th districts, all of the 16th and 18th districts, and most of the 20th district are in the county. All of its five legislators are Democrats: Nancy Skinner of the 14th district, Sandré Swanson of the 16th district, Mary Hayashi of the 18th district, and Bob Wieckowski of the 20th district, and Joan Buchanan of the 15th district. In the State Senate, most of the 9th and 10th districts are in the county and are both represented by Democrats: Loni Hancock and Ellen Corbett, respectively.

According to the California Secretary of State, there are 709,414 registered voters in Alameda County. 401,847 (56.6%) are registered Democrats, 116,864 (16.5%) are registered Republicans, 33,689 (4.8%) are registered to minor political parties, and 157,014 (22.1%) declined to answer. This means Democrats have a 40.1% registration advantage over Republicans. Every city, town, and unincorporated area in Alameda County has more registered Democrats than Republicans.

Alameda County vote
by party in presidential elections

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2008	19.3% 119,554	78.9% 489,106	1.8% 11,724
2004	23.3% 130,911	75.2% 422,585	1.5% 8,594
2000	24.1% 119,279	69.4% 342,889	6.5% 32,168
1996	23.1% 106,581	65.8% 303,903	11.2% 51,560
1992	20.6% 109,292	63.0% 334,224	16.3% 86,629
1988	34.0% 162,815	64.8% 310,283	1.2% 5,899
1984	40.0% 192,408	58.7% 282,041	1.3% 6,425
1980	38.0% 158,531	48.3% 201,720	13.7% 57,366
1976	38.1% 155,280	57.9% 235,988	4.0% 16,413
1972	42.8% 201,862	55.0% 259,254	2.1% 10,079
1968	37.6% 153,285	53.9% 219,545	8.5% 34,519
1964	33.5% 142,998	66.4% 283,833	0.1% 509
1960	45.6% 183,354	54.0% 217,172	0.4% 1,474
1956	52.4% 192,911	47.3% 174,033	0.3% 1,187
1952	52.7% 201,976	46.5% 178,239	0.8% 3,079
1948	46.6% 150,588	47.8% 154,549	5.6% 18,194
1944	41.8% 122,982	57.7% 169,631	0.5% 1,374
1940	43.6% 116,961	55.2% 148,224	1.2% 3,311
1936	35.1% 82,352	63.6% 149,323	1.3% 3,011
1932	43.7% 89,303	52.0% 106,388	4.3% 8,761
1928	65.4% 118,539	33.6% 60,875	1.0% 1,780
1924	61.5% 81,454	6.1% 8,020	32.5% 43,016
1920	69.1% 73,177	20.3% 21,468	10.6% 11,244

On Nov. 4, 2008 Alameda County voted 62.0 % against Proposition 8, which won statewide, and which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. The county garnered the sixth highest "no" vote, by percentage, of all California counties, and the was the second largest county, by total voter turnout, to vote against it.

Arts

The Alameda County Arts Commission, a division of the county administration, under the California Arts Council, was created in 1965. Its fifteen appointed members act in an advisory capacity to the board of supervisors, in promoting the arts. The Oakland Museum of California has a substantial collection of California art works and historical artifacts.

Education

The Alameda County Office of Education oversees seventeen K-12 school districts and one K-8 district in Alameda County. In all, there are approximately 10,000 teachers serving 225,000 students. The ACOE also services three community college districts with a total enrollment of approximately 55,000 students.

The Alameda County Library operates libraries in the cities of Albany, Dublin, Fremont, Newark and Union City and the unincorporated communities of Castro Valley and San Lorenzo. The cities of Alameda, Berkeley, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland and Pleasanton have their own library systems.

Colleges and Universities

Alameda County is home to the University of California, Berkeley, one of the campuses of the University of California system, and one of the largest and most prestigious research universities in the world.

Other colleges and universities located within Alameda county include:

• Berkeley City College
• California State University, East Bay, one of the campuses of the California State University system
• Chabot College, a two year community college, part of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District
• College of Alameda, a two year community college, part of the Peralta Community College District of northern Alameda County
• Ex'pression College for Digital Arts
• Holy Names University
• Laney College, a two year community college, part of the Peralta Community College system
• Las Positas College
• Merritt College, a two year community college, part of the Peralta Community College system
• Mills College, a private 4 year women's college and coeducational graduate school
• Ohlone College, part of the Ohlone Community College District
• Samuel Merritt University
• University of California, Berkeley, part of the University of California system

School Districts (K-12)

• Alameda Unified School District
• Albany Unified School District
• Berkeley Unified School District
• Castro Valley Unified School District
• Dublin Unified School District
• Emery Unified School District
• Fremont Unified School District
• Hayward Unified School District
• Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District
• Lammersville Joint Unified School District
• New Haven Unified School District
• Newark Unified School District
• Oakland Unified School District
• Piedmont Unified School District
• Pleasanton Unified School District
• San Leandro Unified School District
• San Lorenzo Unified School District
• Sunol Glen Unified School District

Sports

The following sports teams play in Alameda County.

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
California Golden Bears	NCAA	1868	NCAA: Pac-10	California Memorial Stadium (Football), Haas Pavilion (Basketball), Evans Diamond (Baseball)
Oakland Athletics	Baseball	1901 (in Oakland since 1968)	Major League Baseball: American League	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Oakland Raiders	American Football	1960 (in Los Angeles from 1982–1994)	National Football League: American Conference. AFC West	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Golden State Warriors	Basketball	1946 (In Oakland since 1971)	National Basketball Association: Western Conference.	Oracle Arena

Parks and recreation

There are more than 350 parks located within the county. The East Bay Regional Park District operates within Alameda and neighboring Contra Costa County, with numerous parks within the county, including, Tilden Regional Park, Redwood Regional Park, and Anthony Chabot Regional Park. Eastshore State Park is located partially along the bay shore of northern Alameda County. The San Francisco Bay Trail, a project of the Association of Bay Area Governments, will run along the bay shore of the county.

Services

The county operates hospitals and primary care clinics, through the Alameda County Medical Center.

Landmarks

Alameda County has eight National Historic Landmarks.

See also

• USS Alameda County (LST-32) the only US Naval vessel named after the county
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Alameda County, California
• Solar power in Alameda County
• List of California public officials charged with crimes, Alameda County

External links

• Alameda County's Official Web Site
• [5] map of Alameda County with supervisorial district boundaries
• Alameda County Fairgrounds - Annual county fair June to July
• A short film about Alameda County from 1958
• Short radio episode Baseball from "Lil' Yokohama," by Oakland writer Toshio Mori, 1941. California Legacy Project.
• Alameda County Fire Department
• Alameda County Fire Department Training Division
• Hiking trails in Alameda County, at the Berkeley Wiki website